Bruised
by Freythefrog
Summary: <html><head></head>A working week in which a lot happens. Five part Sherry-fic.</html>
1. Monday

_Disclaimer_: Not mine. I only have a vivid imagination, my adoration for Gerry and his ties and the greatest of respect for Sandra.

_A/n:_ I'm aware that I change tense between the first scene and the rest. I chose to do so in order to get a different feeling of action into it. I'm not sure how well it worked, please tell me what you think.

And I know that Sandra is slightly OOC here. Sorry. But as it is Gerry's story, I hope you won't mind.

**D****ay one**

The doorbell rings. He puts down the fork by the side of the plate and gets up to answer it. He has no idea who it could be. He isn't expecting anyone.

On his door step stands a young woman in a green coat. She forcefully pushes past him as soon as he opens the door, taking a few steps inside the hall. She turns arund and looks at him, a challenge in her eyes.

He leaves the door open. He's never seen the woman before and is surprised by her sudden intrusion into his home. "What's this about?" he asks, disbelief and anger present in his voice.

The woman smiles at him. But the smile doesn't reach her brown eyes. She looks hostile. Suddenly, she smacks herself right in the eye.

He is stunned by her behaviour. He lets the door go and takes a step towards her, trying to prevent the young woman from hitting herself again.

She bites her lip so hard it's bleeding and the skin around her right eye is already turning bright red.

When he gets close enough, she reaches out a well manicured hand and scratches him harshly in the face. He jumps back at the pain. The woman follows him, trying to punch him.

He gets to the door. "Out." he barks and tries to open it.

The woman stands in front of the door so that he can't get it open. She starts to yell as loud as she can. "No! Help! Help!"

He just stands and looks at her, stunned. He doesn't understand a thing of what she's doing. She keeps on yelling.

She smashes the little window in his door, then opens the door and flees out. She runs down the street, still screaming her lungs out.

The door smashes shut. He just stands looking at it, not able to utter a word. What the hell was that all about? The more he thinks about it, the less he likes it. What the woman did was calmly planned. She kept staring intently at him the whole time, she knew what she was doing. She was no raving lunatic. She had it in for him.

He shivers and turns around to get the car key. He storms out of his flat, not caring about the food that's left on the counter in his kitchen or the neighbours that are watching him from their windows.

xx

Twelve minutes later, another door rang in another part of London. This time, however, the person who answered the door recognized the person behind it. She'd seen him at the office just a few hours earlier.

The first thing Sandra saw when she opened the door was the blood trickling down Gerry's cheek and the confused look in his eyes. For the first time during the four years they had worked together, Sandra looked into the eyes of a scared Gerry. She stepped to the side without a word, letting him enter her home.

He walked right into her living room and leaned against the back of an arm chair. She followed him silently and sat down on the sofa. When he'd calmed down a little he looked up at her. He still didn't utter a word. He just stood there wringing his hands together.

"What happened?" she asked steadily.

He sighed deeply. "I dunno."

She kept on looking at him, her bright blue eyes questioning his.

"I was attacked. I guess." he said after a little while.

"You guess?" she asked hesitantly. Please let this not be another of his women affairs gone wrong, she thought to herself.

"She hit herself more than me. That's what is so bloody bizarre!" he let out a sound of utter confusion.

Sandra was about to comment on the fact that his attacker had been a female, asking him some ironic question about his romantic life that would surely have had him storming out the door. But the small sound he made broke her heart and she rememebered the look of fear in his eyes. Something was seriously wrong. "Sit down and take it from the beginning." she said softly.

He complied and told her what little he knew. A strange woman barged into his flat, assaulted first herself and then him, yelled for help and fled down the road.

"Oh God, Gerry." She said, looking down at her hands in order to think. Watching her confused friend didn't seem conductive to thinking straight. "You do have to admit that is does sound incredible."

He stared at her silently for a minute, shocked. He had always thought that whatever happened, at least she would believe him. Apparently not. He didn't know what to say. He got up from the sofa and left without a word.

He was almost through the door to the hall when she got hold of his wrist. He tried to jerk away but wasn't able to. Her hold on him was too strong.

"I believe you, Gerry." she forced him to look back at her and stared intently into his eyes. Her clear blue stare didn't waver. "I do." She paused again. "All I'm saying is, there's a few people out there who might not. We'll have a hell of a time proving anything. If it comes to that."

He leaned toward the frame of the open door. He sighed as he looked down into the carpet. She was right. He'd not made himself popular over the years and his reputation did leave something to desire. But as long as he knew that Sandra was on his side, he'd be able to fight just about anything.

It was almost as if she could read his mind. "I'm on your side, Gerry." she said and squeezed his shoulder gently. She leaned up a bit to look at the ugly scratch just under his left eye. It needed seeing to.

He followed her back to the sofa and sat down once again as she left to get the first aid kit. She washed the deep scratch with alcohol. It hurt and he winced.

"Sorry." she said when she noticed the shiver going through his body. She gave his chin a soft brush before her hand fell back into her lap. "You should stay."

He looked back at her gratefully. "Thanks." he whispered.

She gave him a slight smile and walked into the kitchen. They could both do with a cup of tea.

When she came back into the living room two minutes later, two steaming cups in her hand, he was asleep on the sofa. She put one of the cups back in the kitchen. Then she walked over to the lying form on her settee and draped a throw over him. She turned off one of the two table lamps and settled into an arm chair. She didn't turn on the telly for fear of waking him. Instead she picked up a book she left on the table last week. Some sleezy chick lit with a thin plot that she didn't care an iota for. But distractive, all the same. And right now, she needed something to distract her.

xx

Sandra woke up at two o'clock in the morning. Her neck hurt from sleeping in the chair. She looked over at Gerry. He was tossing and turning. He sounded like a sleeping puppy, snoring lightly. She smiled to herself at the mental image. Sometimes Gerry was indeed very much like a tiny golden retriever pup.

But she knew that he would have a bad back in the morning if she'd let him sleep on the couch all night. She should know, she'd done it herself more times than she cared to remember.

She picked up the book that had fallen into her lap and put it back on the table. Then she walked over and sat down on the edge of the sofa. "Gerry." she said calmly and put a hand on his shoulder.

He jerked awake. At first he was surprised to see Sandra sitting so close beside him, disoriented by dreams of being haunted through dark and narrow lanes. Then he remembered. He smiled uncertainly up at her. "Do you want me to leave?"

She squeezed his arm where her hand was resting on it. "Of course not. I just don't want you to sleep on the sofa all night, it's uncomfortable."

He twisted around a bit, sitting up and leaning towards the armrest. He felt his back and neck complain. He rubbed his neck, trying to work away the tension. "I notice." He grimaced.

She smiled. "Come on." She stood up and started walking towards her bedroom door.

He started to follow her but stopped dead in his tracks by the door. She'd got a guest room, hadn't she? He gave her a questioning glance.

She noticed his predicament and shrugged. "If you want to make up the guest bed in the middle of the night, then go ahead. Or you could just sleep here." She sat down on her king size bed and patted the space beside her.

He admitted that the first choice did not appeal to him. The second one did. Much so. It was probably not wise and they would surely both regret it. But he couldn't not take her up on the offer. He moved into the room and walked around the bed, nervously peering out through the curtains at the dark street below as he didn't know what else to focus on.

Sandra took her track suit bottoms and jumper off and lay down under the duvet, only wearing a sleeveless top and knickers. She looked at Gerry, who was still studying the street.

He heard her calling his name and turned around. Sandra was lying in bed watching him silently. He never thought he'd see the day that happened. He appreciated how natural it seemed. Like it was meant to be.

He gave her a quick smile before sitting down on the bed and starting to undress. Then he too crawled under the warm sheets. It felt strange. He didn't know what way to turn. So he lay stiffly on his back, hands at his sides.

Sandra solved it by sleepily drawing closer and throwing an arm over his chest. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and drew in a deep breath through her nose. "Night, Gerry."

He chuckled lightly and put his arm around her shoulder. His fingers played with her soft hair. He was safe here. "Night."


	2. Tuesday

**Day two**

He woke up five hours later. Shit. He was lying in Sandra Pullman's bed. With her arm draped over his midsection. And with a raging hard-on. If there existed a recipie for disaster, this would be it. She was bound to find out, freak out, throw him out and generally cast him out. Damn it.

She moved in her sleep. She was already impossibly close to his body, but somehow she managed to get even closer. He let out a frustrated sigh and tried to entangle himself from her tight grip without her stirring. It didn't work.

She opened her bright blue eyes. Gerry was expecting to see regret, embarrassment and rage in her eyes. He didn't. All that was there was a friendly gaze. She didn't pull away from him imediately or throw him out of the bed. She just lay there and gazed up at him calmly. Almost curiously.

Sandra opened her mouth and gave a little yawn. She closed her eyes and patted his stomach. "Don't look so scared, I ain't gonna bite your head off. I was the one who suggested it, wasn't I? And this is nice." When he didn't answer, she opened her eyes again. "What's wrong?"

Oh God. He looked away. She was bound to notice sooner or later. "It is nice." he said, but he sounded like he was being strangled. He cast a glance at the top of her head. "A bit to nice ..." he said slowly.

She didn't understand what he meant straight away. Then she saw it. The inmistakeable bulge under the duvet. "Oh." she said and slowly drew away.

The intimate body contact broken, he suddenly felt cold and alone. He still didn't dare look at her. "Sorry." he whispered.

She winced. Why did it have to be this difficult? She touched his shoudler softly to show that even thought there were some hard body parts, there were no hard feelings. "Don't worry." She got up and walked into the en-suite bathroom.

He could hear water starting to fall in the shower. He let out a deep breath. It could have been worse. He gathered up his clothes and walked into the kitchen. He was desperate to get out of there. Run away as far and for as long as possible. But that would only put off the inevitable. Whatever he did, he had to face Sandra sometime. So he got dressed and put the kettle on.

When Sandra walked into the kitchen twenty minutes later, she was surprised to see Gerry sitting by the table. She was afraid he would have left. "Morning." she said brightly and gave him a genuine smile.

He relished the image as he handed her a cup. "I'm really sorry ..." he begun.

But she cut him off. She'd had time to think in the shower. "Don't worry. I guess I'm flattered." She looked down into the kitchen table as she sat down opposite him. She drew a deep breath. "We should report the assault to Strickland."

He winced. He couldn't stand the pompous arse. All that man ever did was ogle Sandra and talk for hours about his own ambitions. "Do we have to?" he asked grumpily.

She kept on looking at him. "Yeah. Sorry. I know what you think of him, but he is our supervisor."

Gerry knew she was right. He sighed and took a sip of his tea. That's when he realised what she'd said. She had said she was flattered. 'Flattered!' he reminded himself as he looked up and met her gaze with a sparkle in his eye.

"What?" she asked curiously. She couldn't understand what sparked the sudden change in his behaviour.

He smirked and shook his head slightly. "Nothing." he said smiling.

xx

When they arrived at work, Strickland was already pacing the UCOS office. He'd been there for twenty minutes, making Brain go mad. Even more mad than usual. The old man was sitting behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the desktop and staring intently at Strickland. Which didn't exactly ease the DAC's frustration either.

"Where the hell have you been?" he barked unceremoniously at Gerry as soon as the man opened the door to the office. He looked ready to kill.

Gerry walked slowly towards him. "Miss me that much?" he asked, voice dripping with venom. His good mood had disappeared as soon as he saw the person he had half an hour previously referred to as a pompous arse.

Sandra shot her colleague a sharp look, then turned to her boss. "What's going on, Sir?" she asked authoritatively.

He scoffed. "Why don't you ask Standing here? We got a report about him abusing a lady late last night. But we've not been able to reach him at home since." He drew a deep breath and turned to Gerry. "In hiding, were you?"

"No, Sir." Sandra intonated the title. "He was with me."

Jack walked into the office just then and only heard the last comment. He stopped dead in his tracks. What was this all about? He took a few steps to the side, shooting Brian a questioning look.

But Brian was too absorbed in watching the drama to be able to notice Jack had even arrived.

Sandra asked Strickland and Gerry to come in to her office and gave the two other men a glare. They both averted their gazes immediately. They were curious as hell, but not even Jack dared to defy that look. He knew he wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.

Sandra closed the door behind her and gestured for Strickland to sit down opposite to her. Gerry leaned against the glass door, arms folded in front of him.

Sandra gave her boss an icy stare. "What's going on, Sir?" she repeated.

He glanced over at Gerry as he started talking. "Someone called in an attempted rape at 21.45 last night. The woman said she'd met a man called Gerry Standing and been lured back to his house. He'd then attacked her. She had the bruises to prove it." He nodded towards Gerry. "And that scar on your cheek seems to corroborate it. We'll need to swab for dna. You know the drill."

Sandra put her hand up. "Whoa! Hang on!" She stared challengingly at Strickland. "Don't we get a say in all this?"

He sighed. "She even gave the right adress. There's not much else we can do."

"Of course she gave the right adress." Gerry spat out. "And you're gonna find traces of my dna in the sample you've already taken from her fingernails." He said darkly.

Strickland looked right up at him. "So your not denying it, then?" He was surprised.

"Of course I'm bloody denying it!" Gerry shouted. "She was the one that attacked me, for fuck's sake!"

Sandra knew she should tell Gerry to keep it calm, but she really felt like shouting at Strickland too. God, she despised that smug bastard. Even more now than she usually did. But she knew she could never say that out loud. She turned to Gerry. "Sit down." she said to him, forcing her voice to calm.

It had the desired effect. He walked around her and sat down on a stool beside the window.

Sandra gave him a gentle look, then steeled her eyes into icy blue lobes as she turned back to Strickland. "Gerry was attacked in his home last night. Probably by the woman who claims that he attacked her."

Strickland looked like he doubted the fact very much.

Sandra turned back towards the man sitting by the window. "Gerry, can you tell us the whole story again. Please?"

He kept looking into the floor as he sighed and started his story.

"Well, it's word against word." Strickland said when Gerry had finished.

"So what does that mean?" Sandra asked sharply.

"You know what it means." Straickland said in a matching voice. "We have to start an investigation."

"Who is she?" Gerry suddenly asked and looked up.

Strickland shook his head. "I can't divulge that information."

"Oh, come on, Sir. We need to know what we're up against." Sandra shot in.

Strickland looked her straight in the eye. "Let me make one thing very clear. You are not to investigate this in any way. If I hear that you've been asking around, it'll have serious repercussions. And he ..." He nodded towards Gerry "... is suspended. From right this moment."

Sandra looked up at Gerry. She could only imagine what went through his mind right now.

Strickland got up from the visitor's chair and walked out. As soon as he left, Sandra called Jack and Brian in to her office.

They were dying with curiosity but had witnessed enough to know it was something serious. They sat down in the two chairs opposite Sandra and looked expectantly at her. She stole a glance at Gerry and started talking slowly. "We've got a problem."

Jack and Brian shared a glance as she continued.

xx

Gerry had gone home soon after, not being allowed to stay at work. He'd driven around the bustling city for a while before finally steering towards his flat.

There was a police car parked outside his house. He felt ill as he parked his car and started walking slowly towards the white door with a tiny window smashed in.

The door was slightly ajar and there were two officers in white overalls packing up their bags and things. They looked up as Gerry pushed the door open. He stood on his own door step, staring at the man and the woman.

"We're just about ready here." the woman said and moved to the side to let him in.

He felt like an intruder, walking into his own home. But staying on the doorstep under the continued scrutiny of his increasingly openly suspicious neighbours wasn't an option Gerry relished in either.

He walked into the kitchen and stayed there until he could hear the front door close after the forensic officers. The plate with chicken in curry sauce from last night was still on the counter. Gerry threw the food away and put the cutlery in the sink. He stared out through the kitchen window. What was he going to do?

xx

At a quarter to five his mobile rang. He checked the caller id. Sandra. He flipped the phone open and answered. Ten minutes later he was on his way to her place. A briefing, she had called it. He didn't need to ask what the briefing was about.

Arriving at Sandra's place, he felt a little less hopeless. The relief of getting away from home and the anger at feeling this relief were at a constant battle. But beeing greeted by Sandra seemed to cleanse his mind of both feelings. If only for the two seconds that her hug lasted.

Jack and Brian were already there. Jack got up from the sofa they were sitting on when Gerry walked into the living room. He came over and patted the younger man's shoulder in a friendly manner. "How are you holding up?" he asked, sympathy in his voice.

Gerry shrugged and made his way towards the armchair where Sandra had slept the night before. "As expected, I guess."

Sandra handed him a cup of coffee. It was strange, he thought to himself, but being away from the office all day had meant that he'd gone without coffee as well. He took a sip of the hot liquid and savoured the bitter taste before he looked up at Sandra expectantly.

She sat down in the other chair. "Do you know anyone called Christine Gumby?" she asked slowly.

Gerry thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Don't think so. Was that her?"

Sandra nodded.

"But ..." he started.

Brian cut him off by answering the question they all knew Gerry was going to ask. "You arrested her father back in '89. Nicholas Marsund."

Everything was silent for a moment while Gerry tried to remember the case. Only the clock on the wall was ticking.

Jack decided to put him out of his misery. "He was convicted of rape." he said softly.

Gerry's head snapped up. "Rape?" he asked hoarsly, staring at Jack.

The man only nodded.

"She's obviously trying to frame you." Brian stated.

"But the problem is proving that." Sandra continued.

Gerry thought about it for a moment. "Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty, eh?" he asked to no one in particular. "You accuse suspects of one crime after another and never think of how it feels to be the one on the receiving end. Before you find yourself in their place."

"Yeah. But the suspects are usually scum who are guilty." Brian commented.

Gerry's head snapped up and he gave Brian a heated look. "Do I look guilty to you?"

"Course not, mate!" Brian spat out. "I didn't mean that."

"I know." Gerry explained, more angry at the situation than at the man he was arguing with. "But that's my point. We always assume that they're guilty."

"And to be fair, they usually are." Sandra butted in, trying to calm both men down. She looked Gerry straight in the eye. "But that's not to say that anyone here believes that you've done anything wrong."

He sighed. "I know. I just ..." He looked away. "I guess for the first time, I suddenly see it from the other point of view."

All they could do was continue digging, and trying to do so without Strickland noticing.

Brian needed to get home and Jack had promised to give him a lift so they were soon off. As Sandra had seen them out, she turned to Gerry. "Morre coffe?" she asked gently.

He had just got up from the chair and was preparing to leave. Steeling himself against the feelings that surfaced when he thought about going back home to the flat that didn't feel like home anymore. He was taken by surprise at Sandra's offer. He was about to ask whether she really didn't have anything better to do with her time than entertain elderly colleagues. But he came to the conclusion that she wouldn't have asked unless she meant it. "Thanks." he said and sat down again.

She walked into the kitchen and poured them another cup of coffee. Gerry had looked so lost that she hadn't had the heart to let him go home.

As she came back into the living room and had handed him back his cup, she sat down and pulled up her feet under her in the chair. He watched her settle down and thought about how different her pose was now to how it had been just minutes earlier when all four of them had been gathered. She had still been in boss mode then, feet firmly on the ground. Now she seemed more relaxed. Now she was just plain old Sandra. His guv'nor, but foremost his friend.

It was a friendship he valued highly. And not just because of what she had said to him that morning. He would be the first to admit that that had made her even more appealing to him. But he had considered her a good friend long before her much revealing comment. Ever since that time she'd told him off in the restaurant, during their first case together.

She watched him look at her with curiosity in his eye for some time before she spoke up. "What?" she asked plainly.

He was woken from his day dream. "Hm?" He shook his head in confusion.

She smiled. "You seemed far away."

"Yeah." he admitted with a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I guess I was."

He didn't seem to want to talk about it, so she changed the topic of the conversation. "Have you eaten anything today?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Nah. Not since breakfeast."

She pulled a face. "Which consisted of a cup of tea, right?"

He winced as he answered. "Yeah."

"Chinese, Indian or pizza?" she asked, not being able to suppress the concerned look in her eyes. Gerry Standing missing a meal. That if anything was a bad sign.

xx

Neither had managed much food. But at least he had gotten a few slices of Frutti di Mare down, along with a glass of chardonnay.

She topped up his glass at the same time as she filled her own.

"Whoa. I shouldn't drink any more." He could usually take a lot more than a glass of wine, but after only eating half a pizza in the whole day he knew it wasn't a good idea to drive even after only two glasses.

"You could always stay." She replied as she lifted her own glass to her lips.

He frowned slightly and shot her a questioning glance.

"I can only guess that being at home isn't very appealing right now." she said in a low voice.

He looked down into the carpet as he shook his head. "Doesn't feel like home anymore." he grumbled.

"It will."

"How d'you know?" he retorted, almost angry again.

Sandra sighed. "Because I've been there."

He knew she didn't mean his flat but the situation. He leaned forwards and looked up at her.

It was her turn to gaze into the floor. "I was threatened a few years ago. Made me afraid of the dark for a while." She paused and sighed again. "But it passed after a couple of weeks. Afterwards I was just angry that I'd been made to feel so insecure. That I'd been afraid in my own home." She hadn't talked much about it before. It hadn't come up with her shrink yet and Jack had never known about the threath.

Gerry didn't know what to say. He'd had no idea. But the fact that his all enduring tough-arse boss had felt the same way made his own feelings seem less ridiculous.

He knew what the admission had cost her. She had admitted that she'd been scared. His boss had just admitted that she was human.

Gerry wanted to hug her tight, whisper sweet nothings into her soft hair and trace indestinguable patterns on her back. After last night he knew that her hair actually did feel as soft as it looked. Soft, but with edges. Just like her.

But unfortunately he didn't dare move from his seat. Even though caressing her back and holding her close felt like the right thing to do right now, he knew that back at work things would be different. She would demand payback. In the form of his balls on a silver plate.

So he did the next best thing. He picked up his glass and held it out. "Cheers, Sandra." he said with a small smile.

She knew what he meant. She smiled back as she took hold of her glass.

xx

They watched tv for a while. It was some chat show or other that neither paid much attention to. Both were occupied with their own thoughts. When the clock struck eleven, Sandra got up.

Gerry thought she was going to make the bed in the guest room. Or at least hand him some sheets and point him in the right direction. But after brushing her teeth, she simply asked if he was going to join her and went to bed. He sat in his chair, dumbstruck for a moment before he followed her.

The same ritual as last night took place. He was nervously surveying the street below through a crack in the curtains while she undressed and got under the covers.

She peered up at his back as she sat in bed, leaning slightly against the headboard. She was as surprised by her own actions as he was. She had wilfully invited him into her bedroom two nights in a row. God only knew what ideas he'd get. But to her astonishment, she noticed that the thought didn't alarm her. She had grown comfortable with having him around. And now she was starting to grow comfortable with him sleeping beside her. It was strange, but in a curiously good way.

"Gerry?" she asked softly. Just like the night before.

He glanced over at her. He was on the werge of asking her if she was sure, but again stopped himself at the last moment. She wouldn't have asked unless she had meant it. He smiled to himself as he slid off his trousers and socks, untied the green tie and unbuttoned his shirt.

He laid down on what he now thought of as 'his' side of the bed and covered himself up to his shoulders with the duvet.

Sandra inched closer but not so close that she was touching. She was laying on her side, looking at him.

He turned his face towards her and looked back, mere inches from each other. "Thank you." he whispered.

She gave him a smile. A small loving smile that he hadn't seen very often before.

His heart swelled with pride at the thought that she had chosen to smile like that for him. "You're beautiful." he told her truthfully.

This earned him another smile. She moved closer and laid a hand upon his duvet clad chest before closing her eyes to let sleep take her over.

Gerry stayed awake for a little while. His head was spinning. How had he ended up here? What was here? More than friends but less than lovers. It was more than he could understand in the middle of the night, with less food and more alcohol than required by his body. All he knew was that if this was a dream, he had no intention of ever waking up again. With that thought present in his mind and with a soft hand rested gently over his heart, Gerry fell asleep.


	3. Wednesday

**Day three**

The sun was shining in through the crack in the curtains and light fell upon Gerry's face. He woke up when a ray of bright sunlight touched his eyelids. All was calm and he was alone in Sandra's bed.

He sat up slowly and looked around. There was a cup of tea on the bedside table, but it had gone cold hours ago. The alarm clock told him in stark green digital lights that it was already afternoon. He couldn't remember when he'd last slept this long. It had probably done him a world of good.

He stretched his arms and contemplated getting up and going home. 'On the other hand', he mused, 'Sandra ain't gonna be back for hours.' He'd have time to finally do some snooping around her flat. He'd longed for this day to come. And he really didn't look forward to going back to his own flat.

So Gerry got up, pulled on his trousers and walked over to the wardrobe. He chuckled and rubbed his hands together before pulling the double doors open. He took a small step back and let his gaze wander.

Four rows of shoes. Who the hell was ever gonna wear that many different pairs of shoes? He reluctantly admitted to himself that most of them did look nice, some even sexy. But he was sure that most of them were also very uncomfortable. Why would she do that to herself?

The collection of suits and dresses was next to go under his scrutiny. Most suits were businesslike dark creations with just that extra bit of attitude. Very much what he'd expected. The dresses contained more surprises. He had expected a few numbers that left little to the imagination in between a mass of more conservative coctail gowns. It turned out to be the opposite. While Sandra did own her fair share of little black numbers, an overwhelming majority of them were either revealingly low or spectacularly short. He gave a wolf whistle as he skimmed through her collection of very short night gowns in what he could only guess to be satin and lace.

Suddenly, his heart stopped beating in his chest. There it was. The perfect dress for her. It was so close to what he would have dreamed up for her that he had to touch it to make sure it was real. It was a deep blue dress, the same colour as her eyes, sleeveless and with a flowing skirt.

He took it out of the wardrobe to look closer at it. It had a plunging neckline, but wasn't actually very revealing. It just held the promise of smooth skin beneath, without showing it off. And he bet Sandra would look stunning in it. Breathtakingly gorgeous, in fact.

He put the dress back in its place and closed the wardrobe doors. It felt like he was trapping his wildest fantasies away, but it had to be done. Either that, or he would still be standing there with the dress in his hands when she came home at five. And that wouldn't be a pretty sight.

He shrugged and went downstairs. Right, on to the book shelves. One could learn so much about a person from the books they read.

When he walked into the kitchen half an hour later, he found the note that she had left for him on the table.

_Morning._

_You know where the coffee is. But don't get your hopes up about finding something edible, so no need to rummage through all my cupboards on the off chance! We'll be down the pub at five, see you there?_

_P.S. I'll know if you've been through my bathroom cabinet._

He chuckled. "Bathroom cabinet? Hmpf. Novice." With that he let himself out and walked over to his car.

xx

Come five o'clock, a newly showered and shaved Gerry was sitting in their local, downing a pint of bitter. Today he'd gone for a red and blue striped tie. Funnily enough, the tie just happened to be the same blue colour as a certain Superintendent's eyes. And also, which he told himself was nothing but the strangest of coincidences, the same colour as a certain dress he'd laid eyes upon earlier in the day.

Jack was the first to give up work for the day. He waved as he ordered half a pint at the bar, then came over to claim a seat in their usual corner. "Stricks' been looking for you again." he said before taking a sip of his drink.

Gerry groaned. "What now?"

"He wouldn't tell. The only thing he said was to tell you to stay at home in future. Or keep your mobile phone on." Jack looked at Gerry curiously but didn't ask anything.

"I forgot to charge it last night." Gerry said in answer to the silent question. Actually, he hadn't forgotten. He just hadn't wanted to be accessible. There was a good reason why the off button was invented, right? He didn't say anything about his whereabouts as he didn't want to lie more than he already had. Nor did he want to tell the truth.

Jack nodded.

"Anything new?" Gerry asked. He just wanted the case to be over and done with so that he could go back to work. Preferrably before any of his family heard about it and came running. The last thing he needed was his ex-wives and daughters fussing over him yet again.

Jack sighed. "Sorry. With Stricks on our backs all day, we weren't able to get much done."

Brian showed up with a glass of mineral water in hand and soon after, Sandra turned up as well. But unfortunately none of them had anything more to add to Jack's downcasting referate of the day that had passed all to slowly.

"Well as far as I remember, there was nothing strange with the case. Marsund even admitted following the girl. Not the assault, mind. But there was never any question 'bout it." Gerry said. He'd had time to think about the case a lot during the day and he hadn't remembered anything that would cast a light on the current mess.

"It's probably just the daughter having a hard time accepting it." Sandra replied sympathetically. She knew how difficult it could be to accept what parents had done, however long ago it had happened.

"Yeah." Jack said. "I've just been wondering what made it all bubble up to the surface right now."

"Who knows." Sandra mused. "Relationship breaking down? Being fired? Moving houses? Reading an article about UCOS and spotting Gerry's name?"

Brian butted in. "Or none of the above. It doesn't have to have been any significant change in her personal life that set it off. Maybe it was just a chance encounter in the street. Or maybe she had the day off."

Gerry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I need another drink."

Sandra got up. "My round."

Gerry looked at her back as she made her way towards the bar. He daydreamed about the way that the blue dress would sway as she walked.

Jack coughed discretely. He leaned towards Gerry. "Word of advice, Gerry. Don't let her notice that look."

Gerry felt a slight blush creeping up. He gave Jack a deadly glare and turned to look out the window.

Brian had trouble keeping from laughing out loud. But soon after, he wasn't laughing very much as Esther called Jack's mobile asking for her husband. Apparently, his dinner had been ready for over an hour already.

"Fancy some fish n' chips?" Gerry asked when Brian and his current chauffeur Jack had left.

Sandra cocked her head to the side. "Why not." She took another swig of her wine and picked up her handbag.

xx

Half an hour later, they were standing outside a chippy eating haddock and chips out of paper baskets. She had poured a little too much vinegar on her chips and chucked it away after finishing the fish. She wiped her mouth and drank the rest of her soft drink.

Gerry was munching on his last potatoes. Now that they were alone again, he wasn't sure what to say to her. All he could see before his eyes each time he closed his them was that damn blue dress. And ravishing as the image was, it did make his concentration slip just a bit.

"You alright?" she asked when he had been quiet for almost ten minutes. Even with food in his mouth, Gerry wasn't usually able to keep quiet for that long.

He nodded absentmindedly. "Just thinking." He blinked a couple of times and looked at her. "Sorry."

She gave him a small smile in answer. "Coffee?"

He shook his head slightly. "Nah. I think I need to get 'ome."

She fished up a packet from her handbag and waved it about. "I did get an extra toothbrush, just in case."

That earned her a broad smile. "Much as I am fond of sleeping with you ..." He cringed at the sound of what he'd just said. "You know what I mean. But I need to get used to me flat again."

She rolled her eyes at the first part of his statement. She did, however, see the wisdom in his decision. Although she would miss him tonight. But there was no need to tell him that. It would only boost his already over inflated ego so much it would explode.

But she wanted to give him some sort of encouragement. She smiled. "Okay. But I'll keep the toothbrush just in case. All right?"

He suddenly resembled the cat that got the cream. "Perfect." And he meant it.

They walked back to their cars outside the pub. After sharing a hug that wasn't as awkward as they had both anticipated, they drove off in different directions.

xx

At nine p.m. he regretted his decision for about the hundredth time. Why was he staying in a cold flat with a piece of cardboard over the hole in the door when he could be sharing a bottle of wine with a beautiful and intelligent woman that he held in the highest of esteems?

He'd called both Caitlin and Paula, talking for a fair while but not letting on that anything was wrong. Then he'd watched the news for the third time that evening. There had been another aftershock in the Philliphines and apparently the BNP had gained in the polls again. He turned on the stereo. He wasn't actually in the mood for Rod Stewart but it happened to be the cd that was already in the player.

Laying down on the sofa, he closed his eyes. He longed for the dreamed up images of Sandra in a swaying deep blue dress to fill his mind. But all he could see was a young woman hitting herself right in the eye and reaching out her long claws towards his face.

He snapped his eyes open. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He was obviously still in the stage where he was afraid of the dark. He sat up again and ran his hands over his face. The scar under his left eye hadn't healed yet.

xx

Sandra was restless. She had cleaned the dishes, put on the washing maschine, taken out all old magazines and newspapers and scrubbed the bathroom. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this efficient at home. At work she had no problem playing the role of the workaholic, but when she got home she liked nothing better than putting her feet up. And now, suddenly, she was a changed woman. If only for the one night.

She walked over to the fridge and started taking out all the bottles and jars she could find. It was about time she threw half the stuff away. When she found a tin of sardines with the text 'best before 1998' she pulled a face. It really was about time she caught up with the housework that had been piling up.

Still, she couldn't stop wondering how Gerry was doing.

That's when her mobile vibrated in the pocket of her track suit bottoms. She sighed as she took it out to read the message. She really hoped it wouldn't turn out to be work related.

_How long will it take before I feel at home again?_

She didn't know what to answer. For her it had taken two weeks. Gerry was made of sturdy stuff, but then so was she. She had no idea. But she needed to give him some kind of answer. She racked her brain for the perfect thing to say, but couldn't find it.

_I honestly don't know. _She wrote and then added. _There's a key under the second flower pot to the left if you need it._

She hesitated. Should she send it? It would mean giving him an open invite into her personal sphere. Was she ready for that? Was he ready for that? She didn't know. But she knew that she wanted to be there for him if he needed her.

Without discussing it, they seemed to have come to some to some sort of understanding. She had no idea where it would lead. But she thorougly enjoyed where they were rignt now. And she didn't mind if it evolved into something deeper in the future. She was too old not to sit back and enjoy the ride.

She pressed the button to send the message. Half a second later, she almost regretted it. 'Oh, get a grip!' she told herself. 'Stop acting like a hormonal teenager! It's said now, nothing you can do about it.' She sighed and went back to sorting the bottles out. But her mind was racing and she didn't notice that she put a jar of mouldy strawberry jam back onto the top shelf.

xx

He read the message. Then he reread it. He repeated this action several times before believeing what his eyes had told him all along. It was no illusion. Sandra had actually told him where she hid her spare key. He was sure not even Jack knew this much. His heart swelled.

_Thanks._ _But I need to get over it eventually._ He spelled out. Then he cleared the message and called her up instead.

He told her how he felt. He'd rather be at her place, but he needed to try staying on his own. He'd have to get used to it sooner or later. "And it's probably easier to do it sooner rather than later."

She understood and didn't press the matter further. She just told him that the offer was still there in case he changed his mind.

He was grateful but didn't know how to tell her. "It helps to hear a friendly voice." he said instead. He didn't tell her that her voice helped more than any other ever could. But she probably knew that anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

They decided to meet in the pub after work again. She told him that she'd try to put pressure on Strickland if nothing else happened.

"Careful. You know what he's like."

She promised not to do anything stupid and told him to try the same for once.

The friendly jibe made him chuckle. "Night, Sandra."


	4. Thursday

**Day four**

His eyes snapped open at six in the morning. The duvet was on the floor, the sheets were wrinkled and he felt like he hadn't slept a wink. He had a head ache, what felt like a slight temperature and was so thirsty his throat itched. It was a far cry from the previous night's blissful slumber. Gerry groaned as he got up.

'No chance of getting any more sleep.' he thought to himself as he walked down the stairs to get a glass of juice from the kitchen. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror in the hall and had to take a few steps back to have another look at his fatigued features. Jesus, how red could a pair of eyes get? He looked like he'd been crying in his sleep all night. That would explain the head ache and the mild fever.

Having poured himself a glass of juice, he walked into the living room. 'What now?' He sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch, turning the tv on at a random channel. Postman Pat. He clicked the remote control. In the bloody Night Garden. He clicked it again. News. The Red Cross was collecting money for the victims of the earthquake. Nick Clegg was dodging questions on immigration policy. And someone had let loose a flock of sheep in Westminster.

Gerry chuckled lightly. He'd like to do the same in The Strick's office some day. He had a feeling that Brian and Jack wouldn't be adversed to the idea either. But how would he ever manage to smuggle a herd of sheep past Sandra?

He longed to be back at work again.

xx

At lunchtime he got up from the sofa. His stomach was making unnerving noices and he knew that the only way of calming it was by giving it an edible offering of some sort. He decided to go for baked beans on toast. The traditional English lunch. With the added bonus that he didn't need to go shopping. Which in turn meant that he didn't have to get dressed just yet.

He was just stirring the beans when he heard the door slam. "Dad?" a voice came tentatively.

"In here."

Caitlin appeared in the door opening. "Why aren't you at work?" She took in her fathers appearance, dressed only in boxers and unbuttoned shirt. "There isn't a woman upstairs, is there?" she exclaimed half amused and half disgusted.

"No." he retorted. "There isn't."

"Well thank god for that." Caitlin said as she crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "So why are you at home in the middle of the day?"

Gerry shrugged and tried to think of a believable lie. "Um, Sandra's at a seminar so me, Jack and Brian took the day off." It sounded credible enough.

Caitlin stared at her dad, clearly not impressed. "So you snuck off just like that?"

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked insted of replying to her earlier statement.

"Just came by to get a book." she said as she went into the living room and started going through the book shelves. Finding what she had come for, she went back to the kitchen.

Gerry had buttoned up his shirt by now. "Lunch?" He offered as he took the pan off the stove.

While they ate the spartan meal, she chatted on happily about friends and work. Gerry asked a couple of questions, trying at all times to keep the conversation focused on her. He hated lying to his daughters, but felt he couldn't tell the truth this time. Even being the one in the right, he wasn't able to tell them about the inquiry.

When she was leaving she suddenly asked. "Why is there a hole in the door window?"

"Oh, that." Gerry muttered. "I bumped into it on my way out. Just haven't got 'round to fixin' it yet."

She gave him a concerned look. "So that's what cut your cheek?"

"Yeah." He was releaved that she was leaving so he wouldn't have to spin her any more stories.

As he opened the door for her, someone was coming up the path. It was Strickland. Shit, he thought to himself, but forced out a smile. "DAC Strickland." he said as way of greeting.

"Mr Standing." The younger man replied, obviously no love lost between the two of them.

Caitlin gave Gerry a quick peck on the cheek. "You're busted." she whispered into his ear.

'She has no idea how right she is.' Gerry thought to himself as he waved goodbye to his daughter and let his boss in. Then he let the door fall closed behind him.

Strickland turned towards him without a smile. "You're finally at home, I see. Good." he said and walked into the living room uninvited.

Gerry threw him an angry glare as he followed him in. He wasn't about to offer the guy a coffee, that much was sure. He felt like there was no limit to his distaste for the DAC.

Strickland sat down on the couch. "We got the answers back on the dna. It matches."

Gerry sat down in a chair. "I could have told you that." he said, then continued wryly "Come to think of it, I did tell you that."

"All right, all right." Strickland said, looking angrier. Then in a more level tone, trying to calm Gerry down. "Believe me, I'm just as upset about this as you."

'Wanna bet!' Gerry thought to himself, but managed to keep quiet. He did, however, give Stricks a glare that said as much.

"We are doing all we can. But you know how the burocracy is." Strickland continued.

Gerry didn't feel like dignifying the comment with an answer. He kept glaring at Stricks, not saying anything.

Strickland coughed. He looked a bit nervous when Gerry didn't reply. "We are doing all we can." he repeated. But he didn't sound so sure about it anymore.

And Gerry still kept quiet. He had no plans on making the DACs life any easier. On the contrary.

Strickland was baffled. Why wouldn't Gerry say anything? He was usually the first to speak up, always had a comment with a little thorn ready for him. Why had he all of a sudden stopped talking? Strickland sqirmed slightly on the couch. "Yes." he said just to say something.

This got no answer either. Gerry just sat in his chair, hands in his lap and stared at his boss in an openly hostile manner.

Strickland gave a small laugh as he got up. He really was nervous now. "I'll let you know when we have any news." he mumbled and made for the hall.

Gerry didn't even get up, he let his boss find his way out on his own. 'He's a big boy, he'll manage.' he thought to himself. He was ragingly angry but didn't know what to do. As soon as he heard the front door close he jumped up from the chair. He spun around and stalked upstairs. Short of punching The Strick or breaking something valuable, a long hot shower was what he needed.

He stood under the near scolding water and felt the pent up anger disappear a little more for every drop of water that hit his back.

xx

Sandra threw the door to the UCOS office open. She was raging mad. She kicked a chair that happened to block her way. She kicked it hard, making both Brian and Jack jump. Without a word, she went into her office and shut the door with a very loud bang.

She dialled the familiar number and listened to the signal ring four times before she threw the receiver down. She looked at the clock on the wall. A quarter to four. She picked her keyes up and stormed out with as much drama as she had come in only a minute earlier.

Jack and Brian were sat, mouths agape, for a long time. They'd never seen their boss look that angry before, which said a lot. She looked like she was about to kill someone. Even more than usual. And they felt sorry for who ever the poor git would be.

Jack glanced over at Brian at the desk beside his own when a thought hit him. "Gerry." he stated.

Brian nodded. "We'd better warn him."

xx

Sandra drove like a maniac all the way to Gerry's street. The twenty minute drive only took her fourteen today. She slammed the breakes right outside his house and got out. She felt like there was a black cloud hanging over her head and lightning all around her.

Having made it quickly to his door, she banged and banged until he opened it.

It didn't take him long to get to the door. After Jack's curious phone call he had expected her to show up at any minute.

"What the hell have you done now?" she barked at him as she stormed past him into the flat. She was loud enough to almost make him go deaf. And to alert all the neighbours to it.

Gerry didn't know what she was on about. He'd seen her angry enough times to have gotten some sense of how not to provoke her even more. But he'd never ever seen her this steaming. Fortunately, he didn't have to ask what she meant, as she soon continued.

"I've had Strickland on my back all afternoon. He was so upset he couldn't even talk. What did you do to him, you moron!" Didn't the man understand that pissing the DAC off was not a clever thing to do when you were under investigation for assault. God, he could be thick sometimes.

Gerry went into the living room and hoped she would follow.

She did. Shouting all the way. "Don't you dare walk away when I'm talking to you!"

He turned around and replied calmly. "I didn't do anything."

"What do you mean you didn't do anything?" she spat. She knew enough to know that Strickland wasn't a man it was easy to ruffle. She'd never managed as much herself. And that was saying a lot. But she also knew that Gerry didn't right out deny things he'd done. Talk around and wriggle away, yes. But lie? No. Not to her, he wouldn't dare.

"I didn't do anything." he repeated in the same calm manner. "Now sit down."

She sat down. She didn't know what else to do.

He sat down beside her on the sofa. "Do you want a cup of tea?" he asked, as if she had never even raised her voice.

"No." she yelled. "I want you to tell me what's going on!" She looked more confused than angry now.

Gerry sighed and leaned back. "Strickland came o'er for a chat. And I didn't chat. So he flew away in a fluster like the drama queen he is."

Sandra was gobsmacked. She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Take it from the beginning."

He moved closer to her. "Right. Stricks came over. He told me he is just as upset about the whole thing as I am ..." He pulled a face.

She snickered. "Yeah, right."

"I know. And I know he expected me to tell him that. Which I didn't. I didn't reply at all."

She urged him on with the story. "Then what?"

"He gave me another couple of platitudes that I didn't reply to either. And in the end he just got up and practically ran out. Seemed scared, frankly." He chuckled at it.

She looked at him for a long time. Then she too chuckled. The soft chuckle soon turned into a hearty laugh. She seemed to have calmed down totally.

"So what happened to get your knickers in such a twist? Jack called me in a state of panic and told me to bolt the door." He asked, looking fondly back at her.

Rolling her eyes, she told him that Strickland had called her into his office soon after he had come back to the Met. His voice had been strange and he had hardly been able to talk in whole sentences, just seemed very shook up about something.

Gerry straightened his blue and green chequered tie. "So, naturally, you assumed that I had done something horrible?" he asked her, a quizzical look on his face.

"Naturally." she replied with a broad smile.

He bowed his head and gave her a look of mock hurt.

"Oh, come on." she groaned and pulled a face. "It's not like you're the best of friends."

"But thinking that _I _would be capable of ..."

She cut him off with a glance. "I know what you are capable of, Gerry."

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "You do, do you?"

She swatted his arm playfully as she got up and walked into the hall before he'd be able to see the blush that crept onto her cheeks at the tought. She glanced at her watch. Almost half past four. "Pub?"

"Sure." he said and grabbed his keys. "But I bet you a tenner Jack and Brian won't dare turn up."

xx

An hour later, she had to concede that he was right. For once.

"Don't look so gloomy about it." Gerry said as he took the ten pound note she handed to him. "It just shows how much respect they have for you."

"Fear, you mean." she said, but a smile was tugging at her lips.

"Yeah. That, too!" he laughed.

She looked sternly but playfully at him. "I believe you just tricked me out of some money. Now go make yourself useful and get the next round in."

He walked over to the bar.

Sandra looked around the corner. "You can come out now, boys." she said. She'd seen them arrive ten minutes earlier and had gestured to them to keep away for a while. So, obviousl, they had sat down just behind the corner to be able to eavesdrop all they wanted.

When Gerry returned to the table with a pint and a glass of white wine, Jack and Brian had appeared like out of the blue.

"Thank you." Sandra said contentedly when she received her drink. "And I believe you own me some money." She took a sip of her wine and gazed innocently up at Gerry.

He groaned as he fished up two notes for her. "Okay, okay. When did you have time to call them?"

"Would I?" she asked in the same innocent voice, fluttering her eyelids at him.

"Yes." all three men around the table stated in unison.

"So," asked Jack when he was content that Sandra wasn't furious anymore but actually seemed to be in a good mood again. "What happened with Stricks?"

Sandra laughed heartily. "This one gave him the silent treatment." she said in between chuckles and pointed towards Gerry.

"What?" Brian was confused.

"I just stared silently at him for a while. Seemed to make 'im nervous. He almost shit himself in the end, couldn't get out fast enough." Gerry explained.

"Classic." Sandra quipped happily.

"But don't you dare steal my technique, now that I've finally found something that works on him." Gerry challenged.

"I won't." Sandra said. "As long as you don't try the same thing with me."

"Oh, no. Wouldn't work anyway." Gerry said sadly.

Jack laughed so hard he almost fell of his chair at this.

Sandra stared at Gerry for moment before she, too, burst out laughing again. Gerry sighed happily and Brian just sat there staring at the three of them. Sometimes he didn't understand his colleagues at all.

xx

When the others had been off, she had asked him how he was doing. He had told her about the previous night. So when she had asked him if he wanted to stay at hers tonight it hadn't been a very difficult choice.

And here they were, in her hall. She was closing the door and he stood looking at her. He wanted so badly to kiss her but was afraid of her reaction. So he didn't. There were some lines you didn't cross. And there were some times when Sandra made him stiff with fear.

Him being here in itself was a line he wouldn't have dared cross only a few weeks ago. And he was almost confident that the day would come when he would be able to just walk up to her and kiss her. Just like that. Not at work, obviously. Maybe not even ever in public. But here, in the privacy of her flat. Her flat, that she had given him an open invitation to. Yes, here it would be possible.

"You okay?" she asked him when he hadn't moved at all in a couple of minutes.

He snapped out of his musings and nodded. "Yeah." he said and gave her a smile.

"Good. Come on then, you chose the restaurant." She had made it clear that since it was Thursday, it was take out day. Just like on the Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Wednesdays were left over day.

"Chinese. That's me done." he said and sat down at the kitchen table.

She laughed at him. "Oh, you naive little thing." She picked a large pack of papers, the size of a phone directory for the whole of Greater London, out of a cupboard and put it in front of him on the table. "Here you go."

He looked up at her. "What's this?" he asked suspiciously.

She just pointed to the papers and turned away to open a bottle of wine.

Gerry looked at the first leaflet in front of him. Indian take out. The next was for a pizza place. Then came another Indian. A Chinese. Nepalese. Indian. Pizza. Indian. Kebab. Pakistani. Italian. Pizza. Chinese. Sushi. Indian. Russian. Chinese. He skimmed through the papers in the thick pack. All different take out places. He chuckled lightly. "You do come prepared."

"I've already tried the ones on top. See if you can find any good ones deeper down."

He shook his head in disbelief but did as she said. After having chosen a Chinese fusion place he made the call.

Twenty minutes later, they were sat in front of the television enjoying spring rolls, roasted duck and noodle soup. By the time they were about to crack open the fortune cookies, they had almost gone through the bottle of wine already. The awkwardness that had sometimes shown its ugly head in situations like these was apparently pestering someone else tonight. Sandra and Gerry were completely at ease with each other so close by.

'There's no one I'd rather share this evening with', Sandra realised. An overwhelming sensation of joy flooded her. She hadn't felt so good about herself in a very long time.

She cracked open her cookie and read the message. "You'll always get what you want through your charm and personality." She smiled contentedly.

"Yeah." Gerry quipped, "And if that doesn't work, you'll get it through blackmail or plain old bullying." He gave her a soft look.

"I don't bully." She tried half heartedly.

"Yes, you do." Gerry said smilingly. "That's why you're so good at your job." It was a backwards compliment, but a compliment nonetheless.

She smiled back at him, charm turned on at a hundred percent. "Thank you." she said softly.

He chuckled lightly as he opened his cracker and unfolded the long piece of paper. "Bad luck and ill misfortune will infest your pathetic soul for all eternity." he read confusedly.

"Let me see that." Sandra said and snatched the paper from him. It did read what he'd said. She eyed the paper suspiciously. "Never am I getting food from them again."

Gerry didn't answer. He was occupied with looking miserable and feeling sorry for himself. What were the chances that he'd be the one to get that fortune message? He felt really rotten about himself. Nothing was coming his way.

But when he felt a soft hand trail the outline of his cheek, he had to change his opinion. Some things were better than ever. He looked up and found himself staring into a pair of compassionate deep blue eyes. It was electrifying.

She caressed the side of his face. He was so smooth and soft. Not at all as rugged as he looked from time to time. She smiled at him, feeling her whole body warm up under his gaze.

He replied to her smile by cocking his head to the side and placing a little kiss on the inside of her palm. When he looked up at her again, she beamed with happiness. She was radiant. Stunningly beautiful. And all that from just a small kiss on the hand. Imagine what she'd look like ... 'No, Gerry, no. Down boy. Not now.' he told himself.

But apparently Sandra had different ideas. She sneaked her hand to the back of his head and pulled him closer at the same time as she leaned closer to him. When they were only inches apart, she stopped. She kept looking into his mesmerizing dark blue eyes. They seemed to want to take her in. She closed her eyes as he closed the final distance between them.

The kiss was soft and sweet. Nothing like the rough, posessive thing she'd dreamed of for months now. It was tender. Her head spun and she sighed happily into his lips. This was exactly what she needed. And furthermore, it was exactly what she wanted.

When they broke off after a few seconds, he looked flustered. Happy, but slightly uncertain of what effect the contact would have on everything. It had been so small and somehow so large a gesture at once.

Sandra, however, didn't have any thoughts at all. It felt as if her brain had been blinded by an all encompassing white fog of bliss. She smiled happily as she let her hand rest on his neck. She revelled in just sitting beside him on the sofa and sharing the quiet aftermath of their first kiss.

When he saw her reaction and had time to study her beautiful face and find nothing more than love in her features, he rexaled.

And suddenly the flame that had sparkled to life inside of him didn't want to be contained anymore. He needed to feel her skin. To trace the outlines of her beautiful body.

Gerry put his arm around Sandras back, drawing her closer to him. She complied happily, inching closer so that the small distance they had kept between themselves now wanished. He let his hand wander slowly over her back, feeling the heat radiate from under the thin grey cardigan she was wearing. There was no turning back now. But as neither had any intentions of turning back anyway, it was all for the best.

The increased contact made something deep inside of Sandra burn. She wanted more. She gripped his neck tighter and captured his lips again. This time more forcefully. More eagerly. She could feel his hands tightening on her back like he was holdning on to dear life. And she wanted to deepen the kiss. She stuck out her tounge and he readily parted his lips.

xx

"So that's what made a nation of women turn into putty in your hands." she said as she rested her head against his bare chest in bed an hour later.

He glanced down at her and caught the happy sigh that escaped her. "A nation of women? Sandra, what do you think of me?" he exclaimed playfully. Then added. "A good sized market town, I'll grant you that. Or a smallish city. But a nation?" He tutted.

She wriggled loose from his tight grip and turned around, propped up on her elbows and looking down at him. "My, you are modest tonight." With that she gave him a soft kiss and laid down beside him again.

He pulled her a bit closer and buried his nose into her hair. He had seen the bottle in her bathroom, he knew what the scent was. Peach and apple blossom. But it was mixed with something even better. The faint sweet smell of Sandra.

This was happiness. This was bliss. Hugging the woman he loved tight in the quiet afterglow of making love. This was what he'd been looking for all his life. Who knew that it would storm into his life in the form of a bitching Detective Superintendent. He chuckled lightly.

She squeezed his upper body lightly at the familiar sound.

"I love you." he whispered, trying to say it as quietly as possible so she wouldn't hear it.

But of course she did. "I know." she said smilingly and looked up at him. "You'd better."

He knew that he would keep on doing so, no matter what.


	5. Friday

**Day five**

She woke up sprawled over her bed. Alone. She frowned. Where had Gerry gone off to? Then the whiff of bacon found its way into her nostrils. He couldn't, could he? She heard footsteps approaching up the stairs. He could.

When he pushed the door open and walked in, humming happily and carrying a tray, she sat up in bed. She gave him a sleepy but happy smile. "Morning."

"Good morgning, Beautiful!" he said and set the tray down in the middle of the bed before he sat himself down carefully on the edge. There was a pot of tea, toast, bacon and eggs. And a single red rose in a vase.

Sandra was baffled. Tea and toast she could have rustled up. But where had he found the rest? She was sure that there hadn't been any traces of either bacon or eggs in her fridge last night. And certainly no rose. He must have gone shopping very early in the morning.

She took the cup of tea he handed to her. "I might just have to keep you." she said, winking at him.

He repeated her answer from last night. "I know. You'd better." He grinned as he climed back under the covers and put the tray in his lap.

After having been fed breakfeast in bed, Sandra sighed happily. She glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It showed 8.14 am.

They had gotten a new case yesterday. But without Gerry at the office work wasn't any fun. Still, it had to be done. And hopefully, he'd be back soon.

"Come on." she said as she drained the tea and threw off the duvet to get up. "Shower." She held out a hand.

Gerry chuckled as he took it and followed her into the bathroom.

xx

It was starting to rain when he left Sandra's flat a couple of hours later. After she'd left for work, he'd gone back to bed. Just to be able to sleep a little longer in her bed. Under her duvet. With his head on her pillow. He had revelled in the fact that he was allowed to take comfort in the faint smell of her.

His guv'nor. His Sandra. As he ran to his car he thought to himself that he'd have to work on the posessiveness he felt for her when he was finally able to get back to work. He'd felt it for years, of course, but never as strongly as now. Now that he'd been allowed into her private sphere. And into her bed.

He wouldn't be able to do his job properly if he was constantly worried for her. It was a common problem for copper couples and one of the reasons why the Met frowned upon such liasons. But he was confident that they'd work it out. Somehow. Now that he'd finally got her, he was cerntainly not about to let her go.

Actually, Gerry couldn't wait to see the look on Strickland's face when he'd find out. It'd be priceless. 'Maybe I'll make him go mad again.', he thought to himself as he got into his car and drove away.

He'd only driven a block away from Sandra's place when the sky opened up and it started raining heavily. His mobile rang. Unknown number he realised before he answered.

"Gerry Standing."

It was The Strick's secretary. She wanted to know if he was free for a meeting any time during the day.

'What the 'ell?', Gerry thought. Usually Strickland just ordered people around. The man had surely never before asked if anything was convenient for someone else. Gerry glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "Two o'clock?" That'd give him ample time to take Sandra out for lunch first.

xx

As it turned out, he not only took Sandra out for dinner, but Jack and Brian too.

Sandra had called him just as he had got in, soaked to the skin. She already knew about the meeting, as Stricks had told her to 'be there, two sharp'. As neither had gotten any more of an explanation, they didn't know why they were called in for a talk.

But the four of them discussed it over lunch at the pub.

"Could they have cleared you this fast?" Sandra wondered.

Gerry shrugged, and said between bites of his lasagna. "Dunno. These things usually take forever, don't they?"

Sandra gave him a glance that told him in no uncertain terms not to talk with his mouth full. He looked away and kept quiet.

"What if it's a ticking off about yesterday?" Brian asked. He received a kick under the table from Jack. "Ouch."

Jack threw him a dirty glare. "He wouldn't dare."

Sandra thought about it. "Nah, probably not. And he really would have no cause to. Gerry did nothing wrong, for god's sake!"

Gerry grinned and nodded. "Why don't I hear you say that more often, guv?"

She smirked. "Ha. You've never given me a reason to before."

Jack laughed at this, as did Gerry.

"There couldn't be any more evidence, could there?" Brian asked gloomily.

Jack stopped laughing and looked sternly over at Brian. "No, there could not. There is no evidence!" He was almost angry.

Brian threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "All right, all right."

Jack kept shooting angry daggers in Brian's direction.

"Jack, take it easy." Sandra tried to calm him.

"It'll probably be nothing." Gerry said, trying to sound confident. "Just another one of The Strick's speeches. A load of hot air."

This made Jack smile. "He'd make a good balloon, I'll say that for him."

This time even Brian laughed.

xx

So lunch hadn't turned into the cozy little meal he had hoped for. But as they came out of the pub, Sandra told Brian and Jack to call upon a witness to the case they had reopened just yesterday. It was an effective way of telling them to take a hike as she knew the witness in question lived just a few streets in the other direction and Brian was always keen to walk.

Sandra and Gerry walked slowly arm in arm towards the office, huddled closely together to fight off the unusually cold April wind.

"Do you think they could have found some new 'evidence'?" he asked her, the uncertainty shining in his blue eyes.

She sighed deeply and gave his arm a squeeze. "What could they have found? No, it's more likely just an update on the case. And ..." she smiled "... after yesterday, Stricks probably doesn't feel very comfortable around you."

They were walking down a side street when he stopped and turned towards her. "I couldn't have done this without you." he said simply, looking straight into her eyes.

She beamed at him, a lone tear glistening in her eye. "You tosser." she whispered and gave him a hug.

He chuckled at this and she enjoyed the sound. "Now, come on granddad. We've got a balloon to see." she smiled and pulled away.

"You don't 'appen to have a nail that I could borrow, do you?" he said slyly.

Sandra gave a short bark of laughter. Then she tugged his arm to get them going again. "Gerry, play nice." she said calmly, but the glimmer in her eyes gave her away.

xx

They were shown into the DACs office by the secretary. "Why don't you have a seat? He will be along in a moment." she said as she turned away and closed the door. She didn't seem to be able to get out quickly enough.

"The bastard want us to sweat." Gerry stated. "Well, we ain't gonna."

They sat down in the visitors' chairs by the large desk and he turned to Sandra. "What do you say to a quick snog?"

"Gerry!" She exclaimed, horrified at the thought of kissing in Strickland's room.

"Come on." He tried. "It'll be fun."

"So not only are you shagging your boss. You want to do it in her boss' office too!" She was still a bit disturbed by the thought. And a bit enticed, but she wasn't going to let that on.

"If you're up for it ..."

"Certainly not." she said in her carefully trained no-nonsense voice and looked the other way.

He could tell that there was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. 'As long as she feels in control, she'll be happy.' he thought to himself. And making her happy was his number one priority for the unforseeable future.

She felt a hand on her thigh and looked back to find a pair of blue eyes very close to her own. He brushed a few stray hairs away from her eyes and gave her cheek a soft caress. She felt the heat raise in her face and a flash of sweet lightning shoot through her body. However much she might proclaim the opposite, the thought of making out with Gerry in The Strick's office did excite her.

He whispered softly in her ear as he continued to let his fingers trace the outline of her face. "A woman's face with nature's own hand painted; hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion. A womans gentle heart, but not aquainted; with shifting change, as is false women's fashion. An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling; gilding the object whereupon it gazeth."

Trust Gerry to read her Shakespeare in a situation like this, but she melted completely. 'Right, that's it.' she thought and captured his lips hungrily.

He gave out a weak moan as she pulled away half a minute later.

Glancing at the door, she sighed with relief. No one had entered yet. She looked back to Gerry, her eyes sparkling. "If you ever trick me like that again ..." she said, trying to sound imposing but not really managing in all her breathlessness. She smiled.

He drew his hand away from her face and straightened in his chair, looking as happy as he could ever be.

"Go ahead. Be pleased with yourself." she said generously, smiling as she squeezed his thigh in return. "I know I am."

He chuckled. But before he had time to answer, they heard voices coming from the outside office.

Sandra quickly smoothed her hair in place as they waited for Strickland to enter.

The door opened and the man came in, frowning. He looked as if he didn't like what he was about to tell them one bit. He greeted them coldly and sat down behind his desk.

"Sir." Sandra said. Gerry just nodded in the general direction of the younger man.

"I asked you to come here today," Strickland began. "because some new evidence has come to light."

Gerry and Sandra glanced each other. What new evidence could this be?

Strickland continued, looking at Gerry. "It seems that this woman who pressed the charges against you, a miss Gumby, has tried this sort of thing before."

A wave of relief shot over Gerry's face and he unconsciously grabbed hold of Sandra's hand and squeezed her fingers.

She was so happy she hardly noticed how intimate the gesture was and gave him a sqeeze in return.

Strickland, however, noticed. He turned completely white for a moment and Gerry got to see the face that he had hoped for. Stricks looked up at Gerry with rage in his eyes, but was able to subdue it almost as quickly as it had appeared. Gerry just kept smiling quietly.

Strickland looked down into his desk and didn't look up even as he continued speaking. He was speaking rapidly, almost as if doing a well rehearsed speech. Which was exactly what he was doing. "As I'm sure you've already been informed by your colleagues, who I specifically told not to look into the case, you were part of the team responsible for putting her father behind bars. She tried a smiliar story on one of your old colleagues a year ago, a DC Mantoft from Thames Valley."

Sandra spoke up, a broad smile plastered across her face. "So all charges against Gerry have been dropped and he can return to work on Monday?"

Strickland sighed, not bothering to show his irritation anymore. "Yes." He still didn't look up. "Now, if you don't have nything to add to this ..." He gave them a dismissive wave of his hand.

"No, Sir." Sandra entangled her hand from Gerry's tight grip as they got up to leave. She sighed a deep sigh of relief as she held the door to the outer office open for him.

As soon as the door flung shut, they heard a loud bang from inside the office. It sounded like glass shattering. Gerry looked at Sandra with a wink. "I think he's jealous."

"Of you or me?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

Gerry just laughed as they walked into the corridor and turned towards the UCOS office.

xx

Jack and Brian had been back at the office for a while. Talking to the witness had proved a futile expedition, since the elderly woman had died last week. As she was the only witness, they could do nothing but close the case. Another scumbag would walk free.

There was some singing in the hallway and it seemed to grow louder.

Jack turned to Brian, who was standing by the coffee pot. "What is that noice?"

"Sounds like Gerry's off key singing." Brian said at the same moment as the doors flew open to reveal Gerry and Sandra.

"Oi! Tha' was not off key!" Gerry said.

Sandra laughed at him, then turned to Jack. "Guess who's a free man?"

Jack rushed towards Gerry. "Congratulations, mate!"

"About bloody time!" Brian quipped as he too came over to give Gerry a pat on the back.

"I think celebrations are in order. Pub, anyone?" Sandra asked in a casual voice, her lively blue eyes betraying her emotions.

Brian grabbed his coat and turned off the lights in the office. And off the quartet went, taking an early leave.

xx

"So that's it then." Sandra sighed. "We'll have to close the case." Brian had just told her about the unfortunate fate of the witness.

Gerry and Jack returned to the table with drinks for everyone. "Hey, no shop talk tonight." Gerry said reproachingly.

"And what would you like to discuss?" Jack said calmly as he sat down in his chair. "How you and Sandra have been shacking up together for the past week?"

Sandra almost choked on her wine at the remark.

"You didn't expect us not to notice something was up, did you?" Jack continued, casting Sandra a blaming look. "So, spill the beans. How long have you been seeing each other?"

"I dunno what you mean, mate ..." Gerry tried but the blush that crept over his face gave him away.

Brian sniggered. "Don't you think we know?"

Sandra gave Gerry a resigned glance. The game was up. She nudged his shoulder softly and gave a stage whisper. "I think they know."

Brian folded his arms and leaned back in his seat, looking expectantly at the pair in the other sofa.

"All right, all right. After the attack, I slept at Sandra's place a couple of nights." Gerry admitted.

"And?" Jack prompted, mimicking Brians posture.

"And the rest is none of your business." Sandra said, smilingly but sternly.

"Oh yeah?" Jack answered, not sounding convinced. He turned to Gerry with a pointed look. "Just you look after my little girl."

Gerry showed his teeth in a broad smile. "I think you'll find that she's actually my girl." He put an arm around Sandras shoulders and pulled her towards him.

"And I think you'll both find that I'm my own girl, thank you very much." she stated. But the effect of her grand speech was somewhat diminished by the broad grin and the adoring look in her eyes as she glanced up at the man beside her.

Gerry was back at work where he belonged. And he had a beautiful bird on his arm. Not any bird, but his beloved guv. Sandra. The toughest woman in the force and the most radiant creature he had ever set eyes on. All his. It was more than he would have dared hope for a mere week ago.

Bad luck and ill misfortune had nothing on him as long as he had Sandra by his side. And as soon as he would get over the dislike he held for his own home at the moment, everything would be perfect. Better than perfect.

And it was Friday. That meant that he'd have all weekend to make Sandra even happier, before they were going back to a work they both loved. He'd take her out tomorrow, dining and dancing. Maybe she might even put on the blue dress if he asked nicely. He'd make her feel as loved as she was. He'd do anything to show his appreciation for the last week. He'd do anything to make her see how much he loved her. Anything and more.

Boy was he going to make her happy.

**fin.**

N/a: Thank you for keeping with it all the way! =) A heartfelt thank you to to everyone who's reviewed, especially Don'tCallMeMa'am and SoLifeGoesOn. Cheers!

Just thought I'd point out that the lines Gerry quoted from Shakespeare come from Sonnet 20. It's usually seen as 'evidence' of Shakespeare's alledged homosexuality, but I think it fits perfectly for Sandra. And it being a debated poem, I think it's just the thing that Gerry would recite to her.

Please rewiev. Cheers!


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